Refuse disposing unit

ABSTRACT

A garbage and refuse disposing unit is disclosed herein. The unit includes a housing for receiving refuse of all types, a compressor mechanism for compressing the refuse and freezing means for freezing the compressed refuse into dense or solid pellet-like units.

United States Patent [151 3,659,427

Harza 1451 May 2, 1972 s41 REFUSE DISPOSING UNIT 3,041,852 7/1962 Palmer..62/3 34 3,501,890 3/1970 Hunt ..53/124 [72] Inventor: Richard D.Plans, 400 West Madison St., 3 3 4 007 5 9 Boje et aL n oo 29 A X C g[IL 60606 2,428,672 10/ 1947 McClellan et a1..... 100/179 1 3,379,1234/1968 Weltner ..100/98 A [22] 1970 3,301,414 l/l967 Clar 100/229 A x[21] Appl. No.: 29,805 3,242,684 3/1966 Sola ..62/341 X 3,088,499 5/1963Rieger ..100/218 X Related Application Data 3,438,322 4/1969Marasco..... ...53/124 TS x [63] ,cominuafionmpan of Sen No 677206 Oct23, 3,424,078 1/1969 Boyd et a1 ..141/73 )1 1967, Pat. No. 3,514,969.

52 us. 01. ..62/63, 53/124 B, 53/124 TS, Primary Examiner-Meyer Perlin62/141 R A. AS31510"! Examiner-Ronald Capossela A Att0rney-O1s0n,Trexler, Wolters & Bushnell [51] InLCl ..Fd 25/00 [58] Field of Search..62/62, 60, 341, 320; /70,

100/93 R, 98 A, 179, 191, 226, 249, 229 A, 215, [57] ABSTRACT 218, 290;141/70, 7 53/ 124 124 21 A garbage and refuse disposing unit isdisclosed herein. The

unit includes a housing for receiving refuse of all types, a compressormechanism for compressing the refuse and freezing [56] Rderences Cltedmeans for freezing the compressed refuse into dense or solid UNITEDSTATES PATENTS penet'lke 3,358,590 12/1967 Howard ..100/218 51 Claims,26 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 2 I972 SHEET 2 BF 9 'P'ATENTEMAY 219728,659,427 SHEET 80F 9 mwm:

Z25 mun T I 355 Maw REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The presentapplication is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser.No. 677,206, now U.S. Pat. No.

3,514,969, filed on Oct. 23, 1967 and entitled FREEZING APPARATUS FORGARBAGE DISPOSAL; and is related to BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates generally to a device for I disposing ofgarbage or refuse, and more particularly to a device which forms storedgarbage or refuse into frozen pelletlike units.

Presently, when a housewife, etc., wants to dispose of refuse, she doesso in a garbage can or container located on the premises. Because thegarbage is exposed to the atmosphere, in not too long a period afterbeing placed in the can it begins to decay and become rancid. As thegarbage decays an offensive odor is given off thereby, and vermin tendto collect about the garbage accompanied by the breeding of bacteria andthe possible spread of disease. Furthermore, the refuse or garbagegathered in these cans or containers is mostly commonly removed bytrucks into which loose or partially wrapped garbage is placed. Usuallythese trucks have an offensive odor, and as they travel frompickup-to-pickup, sometimes they lose particles of garbage on thethoroughfares.

If the housewife is more fortunate, she may have a garbage disposer ofthe type which grinds the garbage into small finely cut pieces and whichthen flushes these pieces into the drain pipe. This type of garbagedisposer also has its drawbacks, namely, the fact that the disposer willnot accommodate stones, stringy meat particles, plastic, and the like,and it tends to be noisy in operation. It also tends to overwork sewagedisposal or processing plants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general object of thisinvention to provide a method and apparatus for disposing of garbage andrefuse which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art garbage disposingmethods and apparatus mentioned above.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a I refusedisposing unit to be used in a home, restaurant, etc., that receivespractically all formsof garbage and refuse and renders it into a dense,stable and non-offensive condition.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a refusedisposing unit in which garbage and refuse may be stored without givingoff an offensive odor or becoming rancid, and after which the refuse maybe easily transported therefrom.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a refuse disposingunit which converts loose garbage and refuse into a compact, compressed,solid article which may be easily removed from the unit, the articlebeing disposed of as land fill or through incineration.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a refusedisposing unit which prechills garbage and refuse during collectionthereof and thereafter converts the prechilled garbage and refuse into acompact, compressed, solid article, the solid article being mechanicallyremoved from the unit.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a refuse disposingunit of the above-described type which is of suffrciently smalldimensions so as to conveniently fit within the kitchen area of a home.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a mechanismfor compressing the garbage and refuse of the above-described refusedisposing unit.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide novelmeans for removing compressed and frozen refuse from the above-describedrefuse disposing unit.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become moreapparent from a reading of the following descriptions.

While there are a number of refuse disposing unit embodiments disclosedherein, the following is a general description encompassing all suchembodiments disclosed herein. Briefly, each refuse disposing unitgenerally comprises a housing into which loose, nominally heterogeneousrefuse is placed with a freezable solution, such as water, in the eventsuch refuse does not already contain a sufficient moisture content tobind it together when frozen.

A compressor mechanism is provided either in the abovestated housing ora separate housing for compressing the loose refuse into a compactstate. If separate housings are utilized, the refuse disposing unitprovides means for bringing the refuse and compressor mechanism intocooperating relationship for compression thereof. Refrigeration means isprovided within the housing or housings for prechilling the refuse priorto compaction as well as freezing the refuse into a solid pelletlikeunit substantially simultaneously with or immediately after the refuseis compressed.

Once the refuse is compressed into a solid pellet-like unit, the refusedisposing unit provides either manual, mechanical or gravitational meansfor removing the compressed frozen refuse from the disposing unit. Meansare also provided with various embodiments described herein for aidingin the removal of the compact frozen refuse from the refuse disposingunit, which refuse quite often freezes to the housing during thecompressing and freezing operation. Additional heating means is providedfor periodically defrosting the sidewalls of the refuse disposing unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS jacent other kitchen appliances;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the refuse disposingunit of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one aspect of the refusedisposing unit embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the refuse disposing unit of FIG. 1taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, specifically showing the compressionhousing used in conjunction therewith;

FIG. 5 is a broken cross-sectional view of the refuse disposing unit ofFIG. 1 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. I including a modified base platewithin the compression housing for automatically ejecting refuse whichhas been compressed and frozen therein;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the refusedisposing unit herein disclosed, the refuse disposing unit being shownin the kitchen area of a home adjacent other appliances;

FIG. 7 is a cross'sectional view of the compression housing utilizedwith the embodiment of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a yard clipping container which is to beused with the compression housing of FIG. 7 for FIG. 1 l is across-sectional view of the refuse disposing unit of FIG. 9 taken alongline 10-10 of FIG. 9, the refuse storage container being shown in atilted position for compressing refuse inserted therein;

FIG. '12 is a perspective view of the compressor mechanism housingprovided in the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a portion of the refuse disposing-unit ofFIG. 9 taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a portion of the refuse disposing unit ofFIG. 9 taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional .view of a novel compressor mechanism to beutilized with various embodiments of the refuse disposing unit hereindisclosed;

FIG. 16 is a top sectional view of the compressor mechanism of FIG. 15taken along line l6-16 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of another embodiment of therefuse disposing unit including the compressor mechanism of FIGS. 15 and16;

FIG. 18 is a broken cross-sectional view of a variation in theembodiment of FIG. 17, the refuse disposing unit of FIG. 18 including amechanically actuated trap door for automatically releasing compressedand frozen refuse from the refuse disposing unit;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a portion of the refuse disposing unit ofFIG. 18 taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of another variation in the embodimentof FIG. 17 utilizing the automatic releasing mechanism of FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of still another embodiment of arefuse disposing unit which freezes the refuse immediately after ratherthan substantially simultaneously with compression thereof;

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a still further embodiment of therefuse disposing unit and includes the creeping pellet concept" to bedescribed herein;

FIG. 22a is a sectional view of a portion of the refuse disposing unitof FIG. 22 taken along lines 22a22a of FIG. 22;

FIG. 22b is a perspective view of a modified portion of the refusedisposing unit of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the refusedisposing unit utilizing the creeping pellet concept" as well as thedoughnut concept" to be described herein; and

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a variation in the embodiment ofFIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings more in detail,wherein like numerals designate like elements throughout the variousfigures, FIGS; 1 to 4 disclose a refuse disposing unit 10 according toone embodiment of the invention. The unit 10 comprises a substantiallyrectangular refuse storage housing 12 for receiving therein, refuse andgarbage of practically any kind, including food wastes, tin cans, metalbottle tops, paper boxes, glass, plastic, small metal objects, and thelike. A vertically extending compression housing 14 for compressing andfreezing the above-described refuse is positioned adjacent the refusestorage housing so as to share a side portion thereof. As can be seen inFIG. 1, the opposite side of refuse storage housing 12 is positionedadjacent and level with a kitchen sink area 16.

As refuse is accumulated at the sink are, it is inserted into the refusestorage housing 12 where it is stored, awaiting further process. Duringthis storage period, the refuse is prechilled by means to be describedhereinafter. This pre-chilling operation is of great significance for itnot long enhances sanitation and prevents odors, but also provides formore rapid compaction of the refuse, since the latter is already partfrozen. It is to be understood, that unless otherwise indicated, eachrefuse disposing unit embodiment or variation herein disclosed includessuch a pre-chilling operation including means to achieve this.

After a desired amount of refuse has been accumulated and stored withinthe refuse storage housing 12, the refuse is moved to the compressorhousing 14 in a manner to be described hereinafter where the refuse iscompressed into a compact state by a compressor mechanism locatedtherein and substantially simultaneously therewith frozen into a solidpellet-like unit as will be described hereinafter.

A control panel 18, which houses control devices required for operatingthe refuse disposing unit 10 is shown in FIG. 1, mounted to thecompressor housing 14. It is to be understood that the control panel maybe mounted in any convenient location, either adjacent to or remotelyfrom the refuse disposing unit 10. The control devices which will not bedescribed herein, are conventional and appropriately chosen forachieving the operational results of the refuse disposing unit as willbe described hereinafter. Unless otherwise indicated, each refusedisposing unit embodiment or variation disclosed herein includes a likepanel and associated control devices for conventionally controlling itsoperation in a manner to be described therewith.

The refuse storage housing 12 includes a side portion which is adjacentto the kitchen sink area 16, a bottom or base portion and a backportion, none of which are numerically designated. A side portion,opposite to that of the kitchen sink area, may or may not be provided aswill be seen hereinafter. The refuse storage housing further includes afront side 20 which is flush with the front side of the kitchen sinkarea and a top side 22 which is flush with the counter area of thekitchen sink and may be used as additional counter space. The top sideis hinge mounted to the remainder of the housing by a plurality ofhinges 24 so that it may be pivotably opened for entry into a refusestorage compartment 26 defined by the housing 12 as seen in FIG. 2. Thetop side 22 includes a loading door 28 which is hinge mounted theretofor insertion of refuse within the refuse storage compartment 26.

Turning specifically to FIGS. 2 and 3, a disposable garbage bag 30 ismounted within the refuse storage compartment 26 and initiallypositioned directly below the loading door 28 for receiving refuse whichis inserted through the loading door. Two laterally spaced andlongitudinally extending conventional conveyance tracks 32 are mountedto the inside surface of top side 22 at extreme ends thereof and extendinto the compressor housing as will be seen hereinafter.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, aconveyance vehicle or mechanism 34 for holding the bag 30 iscooperatively mounted to the tracks 32 for movement between a positiondirectly below the loading door 28 and a position within the compressionhousing 14. The conveyance vehicle or mechanism comprises two angularlyextending arm portions 36 which are rigidly connected together by aconnecting member 38. The connecting member as shown in FIG. 3, issemi-square in shape so as to achieve a specific result which will bedescribed hereinafter. It is to be understood, however, that any shapedmember may be utilized if it achieves the below described result. Eacharm portion 36 includes on one end thereof conventional ball-bearing orroller means 37 cooperating with a respective conveyance track 32 forallowing the conveyance vehicle or mechanism to freely move along thetracks. A pair of arm members 39 are pivotably connected at respectiveends to the connecting member 38. On the otherwise free end of each armmember is a garbage bag connector 40, such as a conventional alligatorclip, for connecting disposable garbage bag 30 to the conveyancevehicle. I

Returning to FIG. 1 in combination with FIG. 4, the compressor housing14, which as stated above is a vertically extending or upright housing,comprises a front and back panel or portion 42 and 44 respectively, twoside portions or panels 46 and 48 respectively, a closed top panel 50and a closed base or bottom panel 52, all of which define a compressorcompartment 54. The side panel 48 preferably extends down only as far asthe top side 22 of refuse storage housing 12 so that a common opening 53exists between the refuse storage compartment 26 and the compressorcompartment 54 for allowing the bag 30 to be transported betweencompartments.

A compressor mechanism 56 is mounted within and to the top of thecompressor compartment 54 for compressing refuse into a compact state aswill be described hereinafter. The front panel 42 includes, at thebottom thereof, a conventionally hinge mounted unloading door 58 forremoving the refuse after it has been compressed and frozen. Thecompressor compartment 54 and refuse storage compartment 26 aresubstantially entirely lined with a suitable insulating material 57 forreasons which will become apparent hereinafter.

A horizontal base plate 60, having its periphery slidably adjacent tothe inner walls of compartment 54, is spring mounted to the base orbottom panel 52 by a plurality of vertically extending spring members62. The base plate 60, is movable between a biased or normally extendedposition as indicated bysolid lines in FIG. 4, and a compressedretracted position as indicated by dotted lines. As will be seenhereinafter, the base plate 60 ultimately receives thereon refuse whichhas been accumulated within refuse storage compartment 26 forcompression thereof.

The compressor mechanism 56 which is mounted to the top panel 50 andwithin compartment 54, comprises a telescoping, hydraulicallypneumatically or electrically actuated, cylinder unit including acompressor head member 64 which is movable between a retracted positionat the top of the compartment, as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 4,and an extended position at the bottom of the compartment as indicatedby dotted lines. As will become apparent hereinafter, when thecompressor head member 64 is in its extended position, it compressesrefuse which has been moved into the compressor compartment, the refusesubstantially simultaneously therewith being frozen into a solidpellet-like unit. It is to be noted, that as the compressor head member64 compresses the refuse, it forces the base plate 60 into its retractedposition as described above. The base plate is thereafter moved to itsbiased or normal extended position by the independent force of springmembers 62, when the head member 64 is moved away therefrom.

As seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the conveyance tracks 32 extend from withinrefuse storage compartment 26, through the common opening 53, betweenthe refuse storage compartment and the compressor compartment and intothe compressor compartment. The tracks are mounted to the insidesurfaces of front panel 42 and back panel 44 within cooperating channels63 and are flush with the panel so as not to interfere with movement ofcompressor head member 64.

Turning to the operation of refuse disposing unit 10, it is firstly tobe understood, as stated above, that the control panel 18 includes therequired control devices which control the operation of the unit. Sincethese control devices do not form a part of the invention hereinclaimed, a detailed description thereof will not be necessary. It issufficient to say that the controls, whether they be electrical,pneumatic or hydraulic, are of a conventional type which willautomatically operate the assembly as described hereinafter and whichare appropriately connected to the various described elements towardthat end.

Initially, the top side 22 of the refuse storage housing 12 is pivotablyopened so that a disposable garbage bag 30 can be connected to theconveyance vehicle or mechanism 34 in the manner described above, theconveyance vehicle or mechanism being positioned directly below theloading door 28. The top side 22 is thereafter closed and refuse may beperiodically inserted with or without water, through the loading doorand into the disposable garbage bag.

The refuse storage compartment 26 and the compressor compartment 54 arepreferably continuously maintained at a temperature substantially belowfreezing for pre-chilling the refuse prior to compaction thereof. Thisis accomplished by a plurality of conventional freezer coils 65 whichare positioned around the sides and back of the lower half ofcompartment 54 within insulating material 57, the cold air entering therefuse storage compartment through opening 53, between the twocompartments. It is to be understood that any type of freezing means maybe provided and mounted at any convenient location as long as such meansachieve the above described results. After a desired amount of refusehas been placed within the disposable garbage bag, the conveyancevehicle mechanism 34 along with the disposable garbage bag and refusetherein are moved to a position within compressor compartment 54 so thatthe disposable garbage bag is located directly beneath the compressorhead member 64. It is to be noted that while the disposable garbage bagis so positioned, the conveyance vehicle or mechanism 34, which isconstructed in the manner described above, does not interfere with thecompressor head 64 as it is driven to its extended position, the armmembers 39 being pivoted out of the way by the force of the head member.

The manner in which the conveyance vehicle or mechanism is moved betweenthe two compartments may take on various forms. For example, it may bemoved therebetween by mere manual force or by, for example, aconventional electric, pneumatic or hydraulic piston and cylinderassembly 69 which can be appropriately mounted within compartment 26 andconnected thereto.

Once the disposable garbage bag 30 and refuse therein is positionedbelow the compressor head 64, an actuating button 66, which may beconveniently located on the refuse storage housing, is pressed forenergizing the compressor mechanism for driving the compressor headmember 64 from its retracted position to its extended position. As thecompressor head member moves toward its extended position it disengagesthe disposable garbage bag from conveyance vehicle 34, the disposablegarbage bag falling to the base plate 60 within the compressorcompartment. The compressor head member thereafter continues to movedownward toward its extended position for compressing the disposablegarbage bag and refuse located therein. The compressor head member isautomatically maintained in its extended position for a short period oftime, which enables the compressed refuse to be frozen into a densepellet-like unit and is thereafter automatically moved back to itsretracted position. An indicating light (not shown) may be provided forvisually indicating this cycle.

It is to be noted that as the refuse is compressed and frozen, it issimultaneously therewith frozen to the inner panels of the compartment54. As stated above, the base plate 60 is driven to its retractedposition by the compressor head member 64 when the compressor headmember is in its extended or compressed position. The base plate 60 isforced into this retracted or compressed position as long as thecompressor head member 64 is maintained in its extended position. Whenthe compressor head member 64 is moved away from the compressed frozenrefuse, the base plate is moved back to its normal or biased extendedposition by the independent force of spring members 62. This in turncreates a shearing force between the inner panels and the compressedfrozen refuse and thereby breaks the latter away from the inner panels.In addition, since the compressed and frozen refuse also freezes to thebase plate 60, heating coils (not shown) may be provided adjacent thebase plate for rectifying this problem.

In addition to the above described heating coils, an independentplurality of heating coils 71 are mounted within the insulating material57 adjacent the freezing coils for periodically defrosting bothcompartments 26 and 56. It is to be noted that unless other use isindicated, such heating coils are provided with each refuse disposingunit embodiment herein disclosed for achieving the same end.

An appropriate control device may be provided for automatically movingthe conveyance vehicle or mechanism 34 back to its initial positionbelow the loading door 28 after the above described compression cyclehas been completed. This, of course, is assuming that the conveyancevehicle is mechanically operated. The refuse disposing unit 10, and allother refuse disposing units to be described hereinafter, includeconventional interlocking means for deenergizing or stopping thecompressor mechanism if either loading door 28 or unloading door 58 (orany other loading or unloading door) is opened during the compressioncycle, this being provided for safety reasons.

The above procedure may be repeated many times, forming a built-up orcomposite pellet or block before it becomes necessary to remove therefuse from compartment 54. Once the pellet formed therein has reachedthe desired size it may be disposed of through a door 68 mounted on aconvenient outside wall within the kitchen area, the door leading to afreezer storage housing or the like (not shown) outside the home.

It is to be understood, that while the above described embodiment of therefuse disposing unit is shown to include conveyance tracks 32 and aconveyance vehicle or mechanism 34 for either manually or automaticallybut in either case mechanically moving the disposable garbage bag 30 andrefuse therein from compartment 26 to compartment 54, such devices canbe readily eliminated. That is, the disposable garbage bag 30 may bepositioned directly below the loading door 28 and mounted thereat by aplurality of connecting devices 40 which'are permanently held inposition. In this case, after a desired amount of refuse has beeninserted into the garbage bag, the garbage bag is taken out of therefuse storage compartment either by opening the top side 22 thereof orby an additional door. The garbage bag is then positioned on base plate60 within compressor compartment 54 through the unloading door 58.

Turning to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of a modified compressorhousing 14a is shown. Since compressor housing 14a is similar, in manyrespects, to compressor housing 14, like numerals have been used todesignate like parts, the suffix letter a being utilized to distinguishthose parts used in housing 14a. Like the compressor housing 14-andassociated components described above, the compressor housing 14adefines a compartment 54a in which a compressor mechanism 56a andcompressor head member 640 are mounted. However, a modified base plate76 is provided at the bottom of the compartment and is utilized in amanner to be described hereinafter for automatically ejecting refusewhich has been compressed and frozen thereon, through a cooperating trapdoor 78 conventionally hinge mounted to and located on one side of thehousing.

The base plate 76 comprises two flat portions 80 and 82 which arepivotably hinged together by conventional hinge means 84 for pivotablemovement with respect to each other.

The Hat portions 80 and 82 are of sufficient dimensions so as to havetheir periphery slidably adjacent to the plurality of inner panels ofcompartment 540 when the base 76 is in a compressed state as will bedescribed hereinafter. The side flat portion 82 is also pivotablymounted to the bottom of the compartment by an appropriate pivotingmechanism 86 and spring mounted thereto by a plurality of spring members88. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the spring members 88 spring bias flatportion 82 at a predetermined incline with the bottom of compartment 74.The flat portion 80 is also spring mounted to the bottom of thecompartment by a plurality of spring members 90 which are of greaterlength than spring members 88 so as to biasflat portion 80 at a slightlygreater incline than that of flat portion 82. The base plate 76 likebase plate 60 is movable between a biased or normal extended position asindicated by solid lines in FIG. 5, and a compressed or retractedposition as indicated by dotted lines.

As the compressor head member 640 compresses refuse within compartment54a, it simultaneously forces the base plate 76 to its retractedposition as described above. The base plate is moved to its biased ornormal extended position by the independent force of spring members 88and 90 when the head member is moved away therefrom. Since the over-alltop surface of base plate 76 is irregular, due to the difference inincline between the two flat portions 80 and 82, refuse which has beencompressed and frozen thereon is caused to be released therefrom. Sincethe base plate is on a substantial incline, the loosened compressed andfrozen refuse, due to its own gravitational force, falls through trapdoor 78 and into a provided storage area (not shown).

Turning to FIGS. 6 and 7, a second embodiment 92 of a refuse disposingunit is shown and includes a refuse storage housing 94 which issubstantially identical to the refuse storage housing 12 describedabove. That is, the refuse storage housing 94 includes an identical topside 96 which is hinge mounted to the remainder of the housing in thesame manner as described above, a loading door 98 and a disposablegarbage bag 100 positioned within the housing and connectable directlybelow the loading doorfor receiving refuse inserted through the loadingdoor. It is to be noted, that this embodiment does not includeconveyance tracks or a conveyance vehicle as provided in embodiment 10,but rather utilizes only garbage bag connectors 40 for holding thegarbage bag. It is to be further noted that the refuse and storagehousing is substantially completely enclosed and preferably includes itsown freezing coils 65 for continuously maintaining the temperaturetherein below the freezing temperature.

The refuse disposing unit 92 further includes a compressor housing 102,a compressor mechanism 104, including a head member 105, mounted withinand on the top of the housing 102, a base plate 106 which is springmounted within and to the bottom of the housing by a plurality of springmembers 108, and freezing and heating coils 107 and 111 mounted withininsulating material 1 13 surrounding the housing. All of thesecomponents are substantially identical to corresponding components ofcompressor housing 14 and function in the same manner. However, unlikecompressor housing 14, the compressor housing 102 is positioned outsidethe dwelling and conventionally mounted to an outside wall 109 as seenin FIG. 7.

The compressor housing 102 includes a first or inner loading door 110which can be opened from within the kitchen area for inserting refuseinto the compressor housing 102. In addition to inner loading door 110,compressor housing 102 includes an unloading door 112 positioned outsidethe dwelling and may include a second or outer loading door 114 forreasons described hereinafter. I

The operation of refuse disposing unit 92 is substantially the same asthat of refuse disposing unit 10. That is, a disposable garbage bag 100is appropriately connected within refuse storage housing 94 byconnecting devices 40, as described above, for receiving refuse which isinserted through loading door 98. After a desired amount of refuse hasbeen accumulated within the bag, the entire bag is removed from housing94 and inserted through the inner loading door 1 10 where the bag fallsto the base plate 106 within compressor housing 102. An appropriatepushbutton (not shown) is thereafter actuated and through an appropriatecontrol panel 115 and associated control devices (not shown) energizesthe compressor mechanism 104 for compressing disposable garbage bag 100and the refuse therein. Like refuse disposing unit 10, unit 92 includesappropriate freezing coils for both pre-chilling the refuse as it isstored and freezing the refuse substantially simultaneously withcompression thereof so as to form a solid or dense pellet-like unit. Inthe embodiment under discussion, these freezing coils may be provided inboth the refuse storage housing 94 and the compressor housing 102 asdescribed above, or they may merely be provided within one of thehousings in which case appropriate means for directing the cold air fromthat housing to the other housing would be provided.

Turning to FIG. 8, there is shown an open ended tubular container 1 16for containing yard clippings such as leaves, cut grass or the like, thecontainer being made of rust resistant lightweight stainless steel orthe like. As seen in FIG. 8, the container 1 16 is rectangular incross-section and includes four peripherally spaced connectors 118 forreasons to be described hereinafter. The container is sized so as to fitthrough the second or outer loading door 114 of compressor housing 102and thereafter fit snugly within and around the periphery of thehousing. The housing 102 includes therein a plurality of hook means 117which cooperate with the connecting means 118 for rigidly and fixedlyholding the container with and to the housing 102.

In operation, yard clippings such as leaves are placed within thecontainer 116 and manually compressed therein. This manual compressionwill in turn prevent the yard clippings from falling out the bottomthereof upon lifting the container off the ground. The container alongwith the yard clippings are placed within compressor housing 102 andrigidly connected thereto in the manner described above. The compressormechanism 104 may thereafter be energized so that compressor head member105 is moved from its retracted position to its extended position. Asstated above, the container 116 fits snugly within the housing 102 sothat compressor head member 105 passes therethrough during compressionoperation or compressing the yard clippings.

In the event either heavier or more solid items are placed within thecontainer 116, a removable bottom plate member (not shown) may beprovided at the bottom opened end of the container for supporting theitems placed therein, the plate member being removed when the containeris inserted into housing 102.

It is to be understood, that the shape of container 1 16 issubstantially dependent upon the shape of housing 102 and accordinglymay take on various other forms.

Turning to FIGS. 9 through 14, another embodiment 120 of a refusedisposing unit is shown and differs from the previously describedembodiments in that both refuse storage and refuse compression areperformed within a single housing 122, which housing, as seen in FIG. 9may be positioned in the kitchen area of a home adjacent, for example,the sink area 123.

The housing 122 comprises two side panels (not numerically designated),a bottom or base (not numerically designated), a back panel 124, a frontpanel 126 and a counter or top panel 128, all of which define a unitarycompartment 130 as seen in FIGS. and 11. The top panel or counter panel,as seen in FIG. 9 is flush with the counter panel or counter space ofsink 123 and includes a loading door 132- which is appropriately hingemounted to the counter top 128 for opening thereof and inserting refuseinto unitary compartment 130. A second door 134 is provided on frontpanel 126 for reasons to be described hereinafter.

The refuse disposing unit 120 further includes a control panel 136 whichmay be mounted in any convenient location. The control panel includestherein the appropriate conventional control devices (not shown) foroperating the refuse disposing unit in a manner to be describedhereinafter.

Turning specifically to FIGS. 10 and 11, the unitary compartment 130includes therein a refuse receiving and compressing chamber or housing138 which is tiltably mounted, in a manner to be described hereinafter,for movement between an upright position as seen in FIG. 10 and a tiltedor inclined position as seen in FIG. 1 1. As will be described in moredetail hereinafter, when the refuse receiving and compressing chamber isupright, it is positioned for receiving refuse inserted through loadingdoor 132 and when it is tilted or inclined, it is positioned for havingthe refuse therein compressed into dense pellet-like units as will bedescribed hereinafter. The refuse disposing unit further includes aunique compressor mechanism 140 appropriately mounted within compartment130 for compressing the refuse within the refuse receiving andcompressing chamber when the chamber is in its tilted or inclinedposition.

The refuse chamber 138 comprises a generally rectangular box having anopen top end, two side panels (not numerically designated), a front side142, a bottom end or base 144, and a back side 146, the back side beingpartially cut away at the top thereof as generally designated by thenumeral 148. A spring biased base plate 150 is provided at the bottomand within chamber 138 and is identical in structure and function topreviously described base plates 60 and 106.

A disposable garbage bag 152 is included within the chamber 138 forreceiving refuse therein when the chamber is in its upright position.The garbage bag is placed within the chamber through loading door 132and mounted thereto by connecting devices 40 (not shown), the disposablegarbage bag being compressed along with the refuse therein duringcompression operation.

The refuse receiving and compressing chamber 138 is' tiltably mounted tothe bottom of unitary compartment 130 by a fulcrum mechanism 154 whichcan be best seen in FIG. 14. The fulcrum mechanism comprises twolaterally spaced and vertically extending plate members or fulcrums 160,each of which includes an integrally connected and cylindrically shapedtop or fulcrum portion 162 (FIGS. 10 and 11). A fulcrum riding member orbase plate 164 is integrally mounted to the bottom and outsidesurface ofthe chamber 138 and, as seen best in FIG. 14, includes two downwardlyextending fulcrum cooperating members 166, which are laterally spacedfor pivotal engagement with respective fulcrums 160. Each fulcrumcooperating member includes a downwardly facing semicylindrical cavitywhich is of a sufficient dimension for snugly, but slidably, receiving arespective cylindrical fulcrum portion 162 as can best be seen in FIGS.10 and 11. Two laterally spaced and upwardly extending plate members 170are mounted to the inner sides of respective fulcrums 160 and extendslightly above respective fulcrum portions 162 for prohibiting lateralmovement of the refuse receiving and compressing chamber 138.

Returning to FIGS. 10 and 11, it can be seen that mechanism 154 andfulcrum riding member or base plate 164 are positioned slightlyforwardly with respect to the center of refuse receiving and compressingchamber 138. This allows the chamber to be biased in its tiltedposition, that is, when the chamber is free to move, it will by its owngravitational force, move to its tilted position. Therefore, aconventional locking mechanism is provided for holding the chamber inits upright position. A conventional switch type device 172 is mountedon the counter or top panel 128 and is used for releasing the chamberfor tiltable movement.

Turning to FIGS. 12 and 13, the compressor mechanism 140 is shownrigidly mounted by conventional means (not shown) to a triangularmounting bracket 174 which in turn is mounted to the rearward end of toppanel 128 within the unitary compartment 130. This, as can be seen inFIGS. 10 and 1 1, allows the compressor mechanism 140 to be positionedat the same angle as refuse receiving and compressing chamber 138 whenthe latter is in its tilted position.

The compressor mechanism 140 includes a substantially rectangularcompressor housing 176, housing therein a telescopically movablecompressing portion to be described hereinafter and a compressor headmember 178 connected thereto. The compressor portion and compressor headmember 178 are telescopically movable between a retracted positionwithin housing 176 and an extended position for compression of refusewithin chamber 138.

Two laterally spaced and parallel T-shaped grooves or cavities 180extend transversely through the compressor housing 176 on opposite sidesof the compressing portion and compressor head member 178 for engagementwith the refuse receiving and compressing chamber 138 in the matter tobe described hereinafter. In addition, the compressor housing 176includes an outwardly extending abutting portion 182 which extendsacross the front of the housing and between the T-shaped grooves orcavities 180 for further engagement with chamber 138.

Turning specifically to FIG. 13, a partial sectional view of the refusereceiving and compressing chamber 138 is shown, As can be seen in thisfigure, each side panel of the chamber includes at its top end thereof atransversely extending T- shaped portion 184 which is sufficient indimension so as to snugly, but slidably, fit within a respectiveT-shaped groove or cavity 180. In addition, the front side or panel 142includes a transversely and outwardly extending abutting portion 186 atthe top end thereof for engaging the top surface of abutting portion 182when the compressor mechanism 140 and chamber 138 are in engagement.

As chamber 138 is moved from its upright position to its tiltedposition, the bottom portion of compressor mechanism 140 passes throughthe opening 148 and into the chamber. Simultaneously therewith, theT-shaped portions 184 of the chamber enter respective T-shaped groovesor cavities 180 until the abutting portion 186 of chamber 138 engagesthe compressor housing 176 directly above its abutting portion 182. Thiscan best be seen in FIG. 11.

With the compressor mechanism 140 and refuse receiving and compressingchamber 138 engaged in the manner described above, it can be seen thatsubstantially all the stress resulting from compression of refuse withinthe chamber is applied solely to the chamber itself and to the housing176 of the compressor mechanism. Therefore, the only stress applied toeither the fulcrum mechanism 154 or the counter top 128 of housing 122results from the dead weight of chamber 138 and compressor mechanism 140respectively. Therefore, neither the fulcrum mechanism 154 nor thecounter top 128 need to be designed for any great stress.

While FIGS. 12 and 13 show basically a T-shaped engagementconfiguration, it is to be understood, that any type of engagementconfiguration which will confine the stress due to compression, solelyto the chamber 138 and compressor housing 176, will suffice.

Turning to the operation of refuse disposing unit 120, the disposablegarbage bag 152 is placed vertically within refuse receiving andcompressing chamber 138 and connected thereto. Refuse which isaccumulated within the household is thereafter inserted into thedisposable garbage bag 152 through the loading door 132 until thegarbage bag is substantially filled. The switch 172 is then actuated forallowing the chamber 138 to move from its upright position to its tiltedor inclined position, during which time it will engage the compressormechanism 140 in the manner described above. A compression mechanismactuator button 188 which is conveniently mounted near the refusedisposing unit is then pressed causing the compressor mechanism toenergize. This in turn causes the compressor head member 178 to movefrom its retracted position to its extended position for compressing thedisposable garbage bag 152 and refuse therein as seen in FIG. 11, andafter a predetermined period of time automatically move back to itsretracted position.

The refuse disposing unit includes conventional freezing coils 153 forsubstantially continuously maintaining the environment withincompartment 130 at a temperature substantially below freezing. This notonly pre-chills the refuse prior to compression in the same manner asdescribed with regard to the previous embodiments, but also freezes therefuse into a solid pellet-like unit during compression.

After the compression cycle is terminated, the chamber 138 may bemanually moved back to its upright position by reaching into. unitarycompartment 130 either through the loading door 132 or door 134, atwhich time the compressed and frozen refuse may be removed from withinchamber 138.

In order to prevent the compressor mechanism from energizing when notengaged with the chamber 138, conventional interlocking means (notshown) are provided. These interlocking means also de-energize thecompressor mechanism during compression cycle in the event eitherloading door 132 or door 134 is opened during the compression cycle.

While it is preferable to completely enclose the bottom of the refusereceiving and compressing chamber so that any liquid therein will freezeand remain removable with the compressed and frozen refuse, the bottomthereof including base plate 150 may have holes or apertures (not shown)therethrough for drainage of excess water or other liquid. If thislatter variation is provided, provision must be made for receiving thisdrained liquid or water. This may be done by utilizing a removable tray190 which is positioned directly below the chamber 138 and between thefulcrum mechanisms 154 as seen in FIGS. and 11. In addition, the entirerefuse receiving and compressing chamber 138 may be lifted up and out ofcompartment 130 through the'door 134 for cleaning both the chamber andthe inside of compartment 130. The

compartment and chamber 138 may include a plurality of heating coils inthe same manner as in the previously described embodiments, forperiodically defrosting the compartment and chamber.

Turning to FIGS. 15 and 16, the compressor mechanism 140 is shown indetailed cross-section and includes previously mentioned compressorhousing 176 and compressor head member 178. In addition, the compressormechanism includes a compressing portion 192 for telescopically movingthe compressor head member 178 between a retracted position withincompressor housing 176 as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 15 and anextended position as indicated by dotted lines.

The compressing portion 192 comprises a plurality of concentriccylinders 194, 196, 198 and 200 which are thread mounted together formovement in a manner to be described hereinafter. The outermost cylinder194 is rotatably supported within housing 176 by an inwardly extendingcylindrical supporting member 199, which supporting member is anintegral part of the compressor housing and which prevents outermostcylinder 194 from lateral or downward movement. Ball bearings or otherlike friction decreasing means (not shown) may be provided between thecylinder 194 and supporting member for allowing free rotation of thecylinder.

The cylinder 194 is appropriately threaded on its external surfacethereof for engagement or cooperation with a driving mechanism, to bedescribed hereinafter, which driving mechanism is provided for rotatingthe cylinder around its longitudinal axis. Additionally, outermostcylinder 194 is appropriately internally threaded for cooperation andengagement with an externally threaded surface of cylinder 196 which isalso internally threaded for engagement and cooperation with externallyand internally threaded cylinder 198.

The innermost cylinder 200, which is externally threaded for cooperationand engagement with the internal surface of cylinder 198, is rotatablymounted around and within a groove 203 which extends around an upwardlyextending arm member 201' which is an integral part of the head member178.

operationally, a driving mechanism 204 (FIG. 16) including aconventional pneumatically, hydraulically, or electrically powered motor206 is provided for driving a plurality of reducing gears 208. Thereducing gears are appropriately connected to the externally threadedsurface of outermost cylinder 194 for rotating cylinder 194 around itslongitudinal axis. As cylinder 194 rotates, cylinder 196, because of itsthreaded connection to cylinder 194, is driven down the internallythreaded surface of cylinder 194 as indicated by arrows 210 in FIG. 15.The cylinder 196 will continue its movement downward until it engages aninwardly extending abutting surface 212 of outermost cylinder 194. It isto be noted, that as cylinder 196 moves downwards it takes cylinder 198,cylinder 200 and compressor head member 178 with it.

Upon reaching the abutment 212, the cylinder I96 ceases from movingfurther downward, but continues to rotate along with outermost cylinder194 which in turn causes the cylinder 198 to move downward as indicatedby arrows 214. The cylinder 198 continues to move downward until itsupper and outwardly extending abutment surface 216 engages the topsurface of cylinder 196 which is now positioned adjacent abutment 212.Like cylinder 196, cylinder 198 carries therewith innermost cylinder 200and compressor head member 178.

Once the abutment surface 216 of cylinder 198 reaches the top surface ofcylinder 1%, further downward movement thereof ceases. However,rotational movement continues for driving innermost cylinder 200downward along cylinder 198's internally threaded surface as indicatedby arrows 218. This in turn causes compressor head member 178 to move toits most extended position as seen by dotted lines in FIG. 15 forcompressing refuse within refuse receiving and compressing chamber 138.Downward movement ceases when the bottom'surface of innermost cylinder200 engages a lower abutment surface 220 of cylinder 198.

An appropriate control device (not shown) is provided for reversingmotor 206, after a predetermined period of time, so that the compressorhead member 178 may be returned to its retracted position. Appropriateconventional means such as gasket seals (not shown) may be provided forpreventing refuse or other foreign material from entering between theconcentric cylinders.

While FIGS. 15 and 16 disclose a compressor mechanism which ismechanically responsive for moving its compressor head member between aretracted and an extended position, it is to be understood that the sametype of telescopic movement may be achieved by either pneumatic orhydraulic responsive means.

It is to be noted, that the main advantage of the abovedescribed designof compressor mechanism 140 resides in the compressor mechanism'soverall length when the compressor head member is in its extendedposition which is only approximately inches. Therefore, the refusedisposing unit 120, as previously described, can be sufficiently compactor small so as to be easily mounted or positioned within the kitchenarea of a home.

Turning to FIG. 17, there is shown a variation 222 of the refusedisposing unit 120 which was previously described with respect to FIGS.9 through 14. Because many features of the refuse disposing unit 120 and222 are identical, like components or features will be designated bylike numerals, with the suffix letter a designating like components ofunit 222. Only those identical features which are necessary indescribing the variations in refuse disposing unit 222 will be describedin any depth.

Like refuse disposing unit 120, the refuse disposing unit 222 includes ahousing 122a defining a unitary compartment 1300 which is appropriatelymaintained at a temperature substantially below freezing, a refusereceiving and compressing chamber 138a supporting therein a disposablegarbage bag 152a, loading door 132a for placing refuse within disposablegarbage bag 1520, and a compressor mechanism 140a for compressing thedisposable garbage bag and refuse placed within chamber 138a.

Unlike the refuse disposing unit 120, refuse receiving and compressingchamber 138a of refuse disposing unit 222 is permanently mounted in itsupright position as seen in FIG. 17, directly below loading door 1320.Therefore, the fulcrum mechanism 154 and fulcrum riding member 164,which were described with respect to refuse disposing unit 120, are notnecessary in this embodiment, the chamber 138a being directly supportedby the bottom of housing 122a.

The refuse disposing unit 222 further includes a pair of Iongitudinallyextending tracks 224 (only one of which is shown) which areconventionally mounted to the top of and within compartment 130 andlaterally spaced on opposite sides of refuse receiving and compressingchamber 138a. The compressor mechanism 140a is mounted to tracks 224 formovement between a rearward position as seen by solid lines in FIG. 17and a forward position as seen by dotted lines. A piston and cylinderunit 225 may be appropriately connected to the compression mechanism andrearward side of the housing 122a for mechanically moving the compressormechanism 140 along tracks 224. The piston and cylinder unit, however,is not essential and the compressor mechanism may be manually movedbetween its rearward and forward positions.

As the compressor mechanism is moved towards its forward position, itengages the chamber 138a in the same manner as described with respect toFIGS. 12 and 13 so as to confine the stress resulting from compressionto the chamber 138a and compressor housing 176a. With the compressormechanism so positioned, the compression cycle commences in the samemanner as described with respect to refuse disposing unit 120,interlocking means (not shown) being provided for allowing thecompression cycle to commence and continue only when the compressionmechanism is in its forward position and all doors are closed.

It is to be noted, that the unitary compartment 130a of refuse disposingunit 222 includes a large vacant area therein. This area may beappropriately confined by a plurality of high thermally conductive wallportions for defining an additional freezer compartment which may beused for housing frozen foods or the like.

It is also to be noted that in both embodiments and 222, drivingmechanisms 204 for driving compressor mechanism 140 and 140a areappropriately located for producing the above described results.

Turning to FIG. 18, a variation 226 of refuse disposing unit 222 isshown. The refuse disposing unit 226 is identical to that of refusedisposing unit 222 except for the manner in which the compressed andfrozen refuse is removed from therein. Therefore like components will bedesignated by like numerals.

In this embodiment or variation, the refuse receiving and compressingchamber 138a includes at its base or bottom end thereof a mechanicallymovable trap door 228 upon which the refuse is compressed and frozen. Asseen in FIG. 19, the trap door 228 is appropriately connected to thebottom of chamber 138a so as to withstand the stress resulting fromcompression therein as well as being slidably mounted thereto.

A driving mechanism for mechanically opening and closing the trap 228 isprovided and includes a conventional reversible drive motor 230 which isoperatively connected to two laterally spaced threaded cylinders 232 forcausing the cylinders to rotate about their respective longitudinalaxis. Each threaded cylinder is mounted within a cooperating threadedbore in trap door 228 so as to cause the trap door to move along thelongitudinal axis of each threaded cylinder during rotation thereof.Specifically, the trap door moves from its closed position to its openposition when the reversible drive motor 230 is driven in one directionand moves from its open position to its closed position when thereversible drive motor is driven in the opposite direction.

The refuse disposing unit 226 is provided with conventional controldevices mounted within a control panel 227 which operate the unit in thefollowing manner. Once the compressor mechanism 1400 is moved to itsfront position and energized for compressing refuse within chamber 138a,compressor head member 178a moves partially to its extended position andis maintained there for a predetermined period of time, allowing therefuse to be sufficiently compressed and frozen into a dense pellet-likeunit. Thereafter, trap door 228 is automatically opened and thecompressor head member 178a is moved further downward to its extendedposition for shearing the compressed and frozen refuse from the sides ofchamber 138, the refuse falling out of the chamber due to its owngravitational force. The trap door 228 is thereafter automaticallyclosed.

A gravitational conveyance tube 238, is provided for gravitationallyremoving the compressed and frozen refuse from housing 122, anddirecting it to, for example, an independent frozen storage unit.

Referring to FIG. 20, a variation 240 in the refuse disposing unit 226is shown and is substantially identical to the unit 226 except for theplacement of various components thereof. Therefore, a detaileddescription will not be given except to point out the variousdifierences between the two units, reference being made to thedescription of refuse disposing unit 226 for a full description there.Like numerals designate like components.

Turning now to the specific variations in the refuse disposing unit 240,it can be seen in FIG. 20 that the refuse receiving and compressingchamber 1380 is held in a fixed position within unitary compartment aand at approximately a 45 angle with the base or bottom of thecompartment. This, as is apparent, allows the refuse receiving andcompressing chamber to be constructed with greater depth, which in turnallows the compressor head member 178a of compressor mechanism 1400 toextend out a greater distance within the chamber 1380 during thecompression cycle without changing the overall dimensions of the refusedisposing unit housing 122a.

Conveyance tracks 224 are also positioned or mounted at an incline,perpendicular to the chamber 138a, so that compressor mechanism 1400 maybe moved thereon from a noncompressing position as shown by solid linesin FIG. to a compressing position as shown by dotted lines. Thecompressor mechanism 140a of refuse disposing unit 240 engages chamber138, during compression cycle, in the same manner as described withrespect to refuse disposing units 222 and 120.

The driving mechanism 204 for driving compressor mechanism 240, ispermanently mounted to chamber 1380 for operatively engaging thecompressor mechanism when the Iatteris in its compressing positiondirectly over the chamber.

As seen in FIG. 20, the refuse disposing unit embodiment 240 includestrap door 228 which is movable between a closed position for supportingrefuse thereon and an open position for allowing the compressed frozenrefuse to be gravitationally released from the chamber 138a, drivingmotor 230 and threaded cylinders 232 being provided for achieving thisend. It is also to be noted, that upon dropping out of chamber 138, thecompressed frozen refuse is gravitationally. conveyed away therefrom bygravitational conveyance device 238 in the same manner as described withrespect to FIG. 18.

A freezing compartment 242 may be provided with a conventional enclosingwall 244 for containing therein frozen foods or the like. The enclosingwall 244 is constructed from a highly conductive thermal material sothat the environment within compartment 242 is maintained at the samefreezing temperature as that within the remainder of compartment 130a,utilizing the same freezing coils.

The operation of refuse disposing unit 240 will not be described andreference is made to the operation of refuse disposing 226 which isidentical thereto.

' Turning to FIG. 21, a further refuse disposing unit embodiment 248 isshown. As will be seen hereinafter, this embodiment is quite difierentfrom those previously described in that refuse is not necessarily frozensimultaneously with compression thereof, but may be frozen immediatelythereafter.

The refuse disposing unit 248 comprises a closed housing 250 whichincludes a conventionally hinge mounted loading door 252 at the topthereof for inserting refuse into the housing and an unloading door 253conventionally hinge mounted to the front of housing 250 for removingcompressed and frozen refuse as will be seen hereinafter.

A refuse storage compartment 254, a compressing compartment 256 and afreezing compartment 258 are provided within housing 250. As will bedescribed in more detail hereinafter, refuse is placed within refusestorage compartment 254 and is thereafter compressed into a slab-likeunit. After compression thereof, the compressed refuse or slab-like unitis moved from compartment 254 to freezing compartment 258 where it isimmediately frozen into a dense slab-like unit.

The refuse storage compartment 254 includes a front wall 260 and twoside walls 261, all of which comprise part of housing 250. In addition,the refuse storage compartment 254 includes a movably mounted top wall262, a movably mounted back wall 264, and a movably mounted bottom orbase 266, allof which move in a manner and for reasons describedhereinafter.

The top wall 262 of refuse storage compartment 254 is conventionallyslidably mounted within tracks 263 which extend from the front to theback of housing 250, for movement between a closed position directlybelow the loading door 252 as seen in FIG. 21 and an open position nearthe back of housing 250. When the top wall 262 is in its open position,refuse may be inserted through loading door 252 and into the refusestorage compartment 254. A disposable garbage bag 268, identical to thepreviously described disposable garbage bags, may be inserted intocompartment 254 and on top of bottom or base 266 for receiving therefuse placed therein.

The back wall 264 is conventionally slidably mounted to tracks 265 formovement between a non-compressed position as shown by solid lines inFIG. 21 and a compressed position as shown by dotted lines. As will beseen hereinafter, when the back wall 264 is moved from itsnon-compressed position to its compressed position, it compresses thedisposable garbage bag 268 and refuse located therein into a slab-likeunit 270.

The movable bottom or base 266 is conventionally slidably mounted totracks 267 for movement between a closed position as shown by solidlines in FIG. 21 and an open position as shown by dotted lines. Thebottom or base 266, which acts like a trap door, allows the compressedrefuse or slab-like unit 270 to be gravitationally ejected fromcompartment 254 when the base or bottom is in its open position.

In order to move top wall 262 and bottom or base 266 in the mannerdescribed above, a respective conventional piston and cylinder assembly(not shown) may be connected to each.

A compressor mechanism 274, which may be identical to any of thepreviously described compressor mechanisms, is conventionally mountedwithin and to compressing compartment 256, the compressor mechanismincluding a compressor head member 276 which is movable between aretracted position as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 21 and anextended position. It is readily apparent that as the compressor headmember 276 moves towards its extended position, it moves the back wall264 towards its compressed position for compressing disposable garbagebag 268 and refuse therein against front wall 260. The back wall 264 maybe moved back to its initial position when the compressor head member isreturned to its retracted position either by conventional spring biasingmeans (not shown) or by connecting means (not shown) which connect theback wall to the compressor head member, the connecting means pullingthe back wall towards its initial or non-compressed position as thecompressor head member moves back towards its retracted position.

The freezing compartment 258 is maintained therein at a temperaturesubstantially below freezing by conventional freezing coils 271 and isthermally insulated from compart ments 254 and 256 by conventionalthermal insulationlnot shown) so that the environment withincompartments 254 and 256 are maintained substantially at ambienttemperature. Additionally, heating coils (not shown) may be provided forperiodically defrosting compartment 258.

operationally, refuse which is accumulated within the household, isinserted through loading door 252 and into garbage bag 268, the top wall262 being maintained in its open position at this time. When the garbagebag is filled, a button (not shown) is pushed, which actuatesappropriate control devices within a control panel 273, for starting thecompression operation. Once the button is pushed, the top wall 262automatically moves to its closed position, at which time the compressormechanism 274 is energized. The compressor head member 276 moves to itsextended position and thereafter back to its retracted position. This inturn drives the back wall 264 from its initial or non-compressedposition to its compressed position and back again, for compressinggarbage bag 268 and refuse therein against front wall 260 so as to formslab-like unit 270. When the compressor head member 276 and back wall264 return to their respective initial positions, the base or bottom 266is automatically moved to its open position so that the compressedrefuse or slab-like unit 270 may gravitationally fall into freezingcompartment 258 where it is immediately frozen into a solid slab-likeunit, the bottom or base being automatically returned to its closedposition thereafter.

While it is preferred that the compressed refuse be frozen immediatelyafter compression, rather than simultaneously therewith, it is to beunderstood, that the refuse may be frozen simultaneously withcompression thereof and further that the refuse may be pre-chilled inthe same manner and for the same reasons as described above. If, infact, the refuse is frozen simultaneously with compressionthereof, avertically extending plug or pin 275 would be connected to the front endof bottom or base 266 and in approximately the middle thereof for aidingin removing the compressed frozen refuse from front wall 260. The onlyoperational difference that would exist if the refuse were to besimultaneously frozen would be to maintain the compressor head member276 in its extended position for a brief period of time so that thecompressed refuse may be sufficiently frozen.

Turning to FIG. 22, a further embodiment 280 of a refuse disposing unitis shown and includes the creeping pellet concept to be described indetail below.

Generally speaking, the creeping pellet concept may be operationallydefined in the following manner. Refuse is inserted into a chamber orhousing in generally the same manner as described above, the chamberincluding one open end. The refuse is thereafter compressed and frozeninto a solid pellet-like unit within the chamber or housing. Thisprocedure is continuously repeated so that a plurality of pellets areformed, the pellets being compressed together so as to form one solidinventory" pellet within the housing. Each time new refuse iscompressed, the inventory pellet is caused to creep" or extrude out theopen end of the chamber by the compression force thereon. As theinventory pellet creeps or extrudes out the open end of the chamber,portions thereof are broken off so as to fall into a freezer storageassembly. This procedure is continuous. That is, each time new refuse iscompressed and frozen to the inventory pellet, a portion of theinventory pellet is broken off thereof and directed to the freezerstorage assembly.

The refuse disposing unit 280 comprises a unit housing 282 having aconventionally hinge mounted loading door 284 on its top thereof forinserting refuse therein, the housing being positioned adjacent anoutside wall 294 within, for example, the kitchen area of a home. Therefuse disposing unit further includes a refuse storage and compressionchamber 286 for storing, compressing and removing refuse insertedthrough loading door 284, a compressor mechanism 288 for compressing therefuse inserted into chamber 286 and a storage assembly 290 locatedoutside the home or dwelling for storing the refuse after it has beencompressed and frozen into a dense pellet-like unit as will be describedhereinafter.

The refuse storage and compression chamber 286 is defined by orcomprises a longitudinally extending and slightly declined cylindricalconveyance tube or housing 292 which is partially located within unithousing 282 and partially located outside the home or dwelling, the tubeextending through an opening in outside wall 294. It is to beunderstood, that while the conveyance tube is disclosed as having acircular cross section, it may include a rectangular, triangular, orother suitable cross-sectional shape. The back or rearward deflectionend 296 of conveyance tube 292 curves downward as seen in FIG. 22, andincludes a back or rearward opening 298 which overlies the storageassembly 290 in a manner to be described hereinafter for directingcompressed and frozen refuse to the storage assembly.

The compressor mechanism 288 is mounted at the front end of tube orhousing 292 and includes a compressor head member 300 which is movablebetween a retracted position as seen by solid lines in FIG. 22 and anextended position as seen by dotted lines, the compressor head memberbeing movable through conveyance tube 292 for compressing refuseinserted therein. The compressor mechanism may be identical to any ofthe above described compressor mechanisms.

It should be apparent that without some type of resistance means withinchamber 286, the compressor head member 300, when moved to its extendedposition would merely extrude refuse out the back or rearward end of thechamber without adequately compressing it. Therefore, a plurality ofresistance devices 302, which will be described in more detail withrespect to FIG. 22a are included within chamber 286 for providingregulated resistance to the movement of refuse within the chamber duringthe compression thereof. Specifically, the resistance devices 302 areconstructed so as to allow the compressor head member 300 to exert aforce greater than 50 pounds per square inch on the refuse within thechamber before the compressor head member is permitted to reach its mostextended position. During this compression cycle, the refuse is causedto creep through and extrude out the open end of the chamber as will bedescribed hereinafter.

Turning specifically to FIG. 22a, two such resistance devices are shown.Each device comprises a strip 304 of slightly resilient steel or thelike which is rigidly fixed at one end thereof to the inside surface oftube or housing 292, its other end being free to move towards the centerof chamber 286. The free end of each resistance device can be forcedinto the chamber by a corresponding set screw 306 which can beconveniently adjusted from outside the chamber. The set screws areproperly adjusted so as to give sufficient resistance or back pressurefor permitting development of adequate compression force ofapproximately 50 pounds per square inch in chamber 286 so as to compactthe refuse therein.

While only two resistance devices 302 are shown, it is to be understood,that any reasonable number may be provided for achieving theabove-described end, the resistance devices being equallycircumferentially spaced around the chamber 286.

Wedge like resistance devices have been described above for providingthe required resistance or back pressure within chamber 286. It is to beunderstood, that other methods for achieving the same end may be used.For example. the chamber may be designed so as to inwardly taper in aconical manner at its back or rearward end for achieving the same end.

Another manner of providing the above-described resistance can be seenin FIG. 22b where a portion of the conveyance tube 292 is shown. Here,the tube is modified to include a plurality of longitudinal slots 313which are equally spaced around the circumference of the tube near itsrearward end. A compression belt 315, which is capable of contractingand expanding upon actuation thereof, is snugly mounted around theconveyance tube over the slots 313. Contraction of the belt causes thetube to likewise contract, around the slots, so that the overalldiameter of the tube is reduced at that point. This reduction indiameter provides the required resistance necessary during thecompression cycle, as described above. operationally, as refuse is beingcompressed within the tube, the compressor belt is maintained in itscontracted position until the refuse has been sufficiently frozen to theinven tory pellet. Thereafter, the belt is allowed to expand to itsinitial position, so that the inventory pellet may be extruded throughthe tube.

Returning to FIG. 22, conventional freezing coils 307 are provided forcontinuously maintaining the environment within unit housing 282including chamber 286 at a temperature substantially below freezing.

operationally, as refuse is accumulated, it is inserted into the refusestorage and compression chamber 286 through loading door 284 and acooperating opening 309 in the conveyance tube 292. A manually appliedpush button (not shown) may be provided for energizing the compressormechanism 288 through appropriate controls in a panel 311, or the refusedisposing unit may include control devices which energize the compressormechanism after the loading door 284 has been opened and subsequentlyclosed. In either case, once the compressor mechanism is energized,compressor head member 308 begins to move from its retracted positiontowards its extended position. As stated above, resistance devices 302or compression belt 315 provide adequate resistance or back pressure sothat the compressor head member will exert a force of at least 50 poundsper square inch before reaching its completely extended position. It isto be noted, however, that this is assuming that some compressed andfrozen refuse is already in chamber 286 for aiding in the development ofthis required back pressure or resistance. Accordingly, the refusedisposing unit 280 may be initially provided with a simulated orsynthetic pellet-like unit mounted within chamber 286.

Once the compressor head member 300 is in its extended position, it isheld there for a short period of time so that the compressed refuse maybe adequately frozen into a solid pellet-like unit. The compressor headmember is thereafter moved back to its retracted position.

It should be noted that refuse, inserted into chamber 286, tends toaccumulate at the bottom thereof. Accordingly, as the compressor headmember moves from its retracted position to its extended position, itsimultaneously rotates 180 about its own axis. As the head memberrotates, a plurality of outwardly extending V-shapedflanges 299, mountedto and circumferentially spaced on the face of the head member, causesthe refuse to be more evenly distributed within chamber 286 duringcompression operation and fills void that might exist in the inventorypellet.

The above procedure is continuously repeated so that a plurality ofcompressed and frozen refuse layers 308 are formed, the plurality oflayers being bonded or frozen together so as to form one solid inventorypellet" within the chamber. It is to be noted, that as each layer isformed, that is, each time refuse is compressed and frozen withinchamber 286, the inventory pellet is forced in a creeping manner towardsthe back or rearward portion 296 of housing 292. This in turn places anadditional requirement on the compressor mechanism 288. That is, notonly must compressor head member 300 be capable of exerting a force of50 pounds per square inch on the refuse placed within chamber 286 forcompression thereof, but it also must be capable of exerting sufficientforce for moving the compressed and frozen refuse, i.e., the inventorypellet, therein towards open end 298 of the chamber.

As the inventory pellet moves to the right, as viewed in FIG. 22, during.the compression cycle, a deflector section 310 which is an angled wedgemounted to the knee or bend of housing 292, causes layers of theinventory pellet to break ofi. This break will more than likely takeplace along a plane which separates each individual pellet 308 sincethat is the weakest connecting link or bond. As the layer breaks off itfalls into the storage assembly 290, as will be described hereinafter.This operation repeats itself each time accumulated refuse is insertedinto the chamber 286 and is compressed and frozen therein.

While FIG. 22 shows a simple wedge-like deflection device for breakingoff portions of the compressed and frozen refuse as it is extrudedthrough chamber 286, it is to be understood than any such device forachieving this end may be provided. For example, an actuated pusherdevice could be provided, which pusher device would chop off" or severthe refuse as it leaves the chamber.

The frozen storage assembly 290, which is quite similar to thestorage/freezer assembly described in my copending application entitledMethod for Disposing of Garbage and Refuse", Ser. No. 30,015, filed Apr.15, 1970, comprises a closed, highly insulated housing 312 which ismaintained therein at a temperature substantially below freezing byeither its own source of cooling (not shown), a remote source (notshown), or by the housing 282 via chamber 286.

A pellet entry trap door 314 is provided at the top of housing 312 andis conventionally hinge mounted thereto. The trap door is spring-biasedin its closed position as shown by solid lines in FIG. 22 and is movabletowards an open position as shown by dotted lines, the gravitationalforce of the deflected compressed and frozen refuse forcing trap door314 to its open position for entry into storage assembly 290. A pelletremoval trap door 316 is provided at the bottom or base of housing 312for removing pellets therein in a manner to be described hereinafter.The pellet removal trap door is identical to that described in mylast-mentioned copending application, reference being made thereto fordetails thereof.

The storage assembly 290 is removably connected to conveyance tube orhousing 292 of refuse storage and compressor chamber 286 in aconventional manner (not shown) and is positioned thereto so that backor rearward opening 298 of tube 292 cooperates with pellet entering trapdoor 314 for allowing the deflected pellets to pass through the trapdoor and into the assembly. A conventional insulating gasket (not shown)may be provided for insulating the connecting section.

The frozen storage chamber includes an interior wall divider 318 asshown in FIG. 22, for promoting orderly and dense stacking of layers ofcompressed and frozen refuse as it enters the chamber. 7

A handle 320 is mounted at the top of the storage chamber so that thechamber can'be emptied into a refuse truck (not shown) in the samemanner as described in my last-mentioned copending application. In orderto achieve this, the chamber is mounted for movement on a plurality ofwheels 322 which allow the chamber to be wheeled from under the refusestorage and compression chamber 286 so that the refuse truck, utilizinga hoist, may lift the chamber therein for transferring the refuse fromthe frozen storage assembly to the truck.

Turning to FIG. 23, a variation 324 in the refuse disposing unit 280 isshown, incorporating the doughnut concept to be described below, andcomprises a closed unit housing 326 which supports therein a conveyancetube 325 defining a refuse storage and compression chamber 328. Thechamber is maintained at a temperature substantially below freezing inthe same manner as described with respect to refuse disposing unit 280.A conventional hinge mounted loading door 330 is provided at the top ofthe housing for inserting refuse into compartment 328 through acooperating opening 327 in the tube.

The compression operation of refuse disposing unit 324 is quite similarto that described with respect to refuse disposing unit 280.Specifically, as refuse is accumulated and inserted into chamber 328 itis compressed by a compressor mechanism 340, to be describedhereinafter, so as to form an inventory pellet. .Each time newlyinserted refuse is compressed, the inventory pellet is forced orextruded towards an open end in the chamber (the right end as viewed inFIG. 23), and is forced against a deflection device 334 which may beidentical to the deflection device 310 of FIG. 22. The deflection deviceaids in breaking off portions of the inventory pellet as it is extrudedout the open end of chamber 328 in the same manner as described abovewith respect to embodiment 280. The broken refuse thereafter enters afrozen storage chamber 336 through a connecting skirt 338 which connectschamber 328 and the frozen storage assembly 336. The frozen storageassembly and connecting skirt will be described hereinafter.

Resistance devices (not shown) identical to the resistance devices 302described with respect to FIGS. 22 and 22a or the compression belt 315described with respect to FIG. 22b, are provided within chamber 328 andare mounted in the same manner and serve the same purpose. Therefore theresistance devices will not be described here and reference is made tothe above description thereof.

The main difference in the refuse disposing unit 324 and the refusedisposing unit 280 resides in the compressor mechanism utilized by each.Like compressor mechanism 288 of unit 280, the compressor mechanism 340of unit 324 is a hydraulically actuated piston and cylinder assembly andcomprises a cylinder portion 342 and a piston portion 344. However,unlike the compressor mechanism 288, compressor mechanism 340 has itspiston 344 rigidly connected to the left end of compartment 328 asviewed in FIG. 23, while cylinder portion 342 is movable between aretracted position as seen by solid lines in FIG. 23 and an extendedposition as seen by dotted lines, the cylinder being movable withinchamber 328 towards and away from the open end thereof.

The cylinder portion 342 includes a compressor plate member orcompressor head member 346 for compressing the refuse during thecompression cycle and an outwardly exte nding probe portion 348 which inaddition to forming center holes or cavities within the compressed andfrozen refuse, (i.e., the doughnut concept") also aids in thecompression thereof by squeezing the refuse against the sides of chamber328. The cylinder portion rotates as it moves from its

1. A refuse disposing unit comprising: a unit housIng including a refusestorage compartment for storing refuse and a compressor compartment forcompressing and freezing said refuse therein, said refuse storagecompartment and said compressor compartment being positioned within saidunit housing and adjacent each other, said unit housing furtherincluding loading door means for insertion of refuse within said refusestorage compartment; refuse supporting means positioned within saidrefuse storage compartment for receiving and supporting refuse insertedthrough said loading door means, said refuse supporting means beingmovable along with refuse therein to said compression compartment forcompressing and freezing said refuse; compressor mechanism means mountedwithin said compressor compartment for compressing refuse locatedtherein; and freezing means for freezing said compressed refuse into adense pellet-shaped unit.
 2. A refuse disposing unit according to claim1 wherein said unit housing further includes second door means forinserting said refuse supporting means and refuse supported thereby intosaid compressor compartment, said second door means being furtherprovided for removing said pellet-shaped unit therefrom.
 3. A refusedisposing unit according to claim 1 wherein said refuse supporting meanscomprises a disposable bag which is compressible along with said refuse.4. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 1 including means forsubstantially continuously maintaining the environment within both ofsaid compartments at a freezing temperature for pre-chilling said refuseprior to compression thereof and freezing said refuse into a densepellet-shaped unit during compression thereof.
 5. A refuse disposingunit according to claim 1 wherein said refuse storage compartment andsaid compressor compartment include a common opening therebetween andwherein said refuse disposing unit further comprises conveyance meansmounted within and to both of said compartments and through said openingfor transporting said refuse supporting means and refuse therein fromsaid refuse storage compartment to said compressor compartment.
 6. Arefuse disposing unit according to claim 5 wherein said conveyance meansincludes track means mounted to and extending through both of saidcompartments and vehicle means mounted to said track means for movementbetween said compartments, said vehicle means including connecting meansfor connecting said refuse supporting means thereto.
 7. A method ofdisposing of refuse comprising: placing a disposable refuse containerinto a refuse storage housing; placing refuse in said container;mechanically transferring said container along with refuse therein to acompressor compartment; compressing and freezing said refuse andcontainer so as to form a solid pellet-like unit.
 8. A method accordingto claim 7 including the step of freezing said refuse prior tocompression thereof.
 9. A refuse disposing unit comprising: a refusestorage housing for storing refuse, said refuse storage housing beinglocated inside a dwelling and including loading door means for insertionof refuse therein; a compressor housing for compressing and freezingsaid refuse, said compressor housing being located outside saiddwelling; disposable refuse supporting means positioned within saidrefuse storage housing for receiving and supporting refuse insertedthrough said loading door means, said refuse supporting means beingmovable along with refuse therein to said compressor housing forcompressing and freezing both said supporting means and said refuse;compressor mechanism means mounted within said compressor housing forcompressing said supporting means and refuse located therein; andfreezing means for freezing said compressed refuse into a densepellet-shaped unit.
 10. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 9wherein said compressor housing includes compressor loading door meansfor inserting said supporting means and refuse into said compressorhousing and unloading door means for removing said Pellet-shaped unitsafter a compression cycle, said compressor loading door means beinglocated within said dwelling.
 11. A refuse disposing unit according toclaim 9 including connecting means mounted within said refuse storagehousing for supporting said refuse supporting means therein.
 12. Arefuse disposing unit according to claim 9, including means forsubstantially continuously maintaining the environment within both ofsaid housings at a freezing temperature for pre-chilling said refuseprior to compression and freezing said refuse into a solid pellet-shapedunit after compression thereof.
 13. A refuse disposing unit according toclaim 9 wherein said compressor mechanism includes compressor head meansfor movement between a retracted position and an extended position, saidrefuse disposing unit further including means for moving said compressorhead means from said retracted position to said extended position forcompressing said refuse and thereafter moving said compressor head meansback to its retracted position.
 14. A refuse disposing unit according toclaim 13 wherein said compressor housing includes outside loading doormeans and wherein said refuse disposing unit further includes anopen-ended tubular container for containing refuse and means fordisengageably mounting said container to and within said compressorhousing whereby said compressor head means passes through said tubularcontainer during the compression cycle for compressing and freezing saidrefuse therein.
 15. A refuse disposing unit comprising: a unit housingfor receiving refuse therein, said unit housing including loading doormeans for insertion of refuse within said housing; compressor mechanismmeans mounted within and to said housing, said compressor mechanismmeans including compressor head means for movement between a retractedposition and an extended position; an open-ended tubular container forcontaining refuse, said container being disengageably mountable withinand to said housing; means for disengageably mounting said containerwithin and to said housing; means for moving said compressor head meansfrom said retracted position through said open-ended tubular containerand to said extended position for compressing refuse within saidcontainer and thereafter moving said compressor head means back to itssaid retracted position; and freezing means for freezing said compressedrefuse into a solid pellet-shaped unit.
 16. A refuse disposing unitcomprising: a refuse housing including loading door means for insertionof refuse within said housing; a compressing and freezing chamber withinsaid housing receiving refuse inserted through said door means, andhaving a plurality of walls of a character whereby refuse can be frozenthereto; compressor mechanism means mounted within and to said housingfor compressing said refuse, said compressor mechanism means including acompressor mechanism housing and a plurality of concentric cylindersmounted within said compressor mechanism housing and to each other fortelescopic movement between a retracted position within said compressormechanism housing and an extended position out of said compressormechanism housing, and into said compressing and freezing chamber, saidcompressor mechanism means further including compressor head meansconnected to the innermost cylinder of said plurality of cylinders forcompressing said refuse when said plurality of concentric cylinders arein said extended position; drive means for telescopically moving saidcylinders from said retracted positions to said extended positions forcompressing said refuse and thereafter moving said cylinders back tosaid retracted position; and freezing means for lowering the temperatureof at least some of said chamber walls below the freezing temperature ofwater for freezing said compressed refuse into a solid pellet-like unit,said pellet-like unit freezing to said chamber walls and resistingmovement of further refuse being compressed.
 17. A refuse dIsposing unitcomprising: a refuse housing including loading door means for insertionof refuse within said housing; a compressing and freezing chamber withinsaid housing receiving refuse inserted through said door means, andhaving a plurality of walls; compressor mechanism means mounted withinand to said housing for compressing said refuse, said compressormechanism means including a compressor mechanism housing and a pluralityof concentric cylinders mounted within said compressor mechanism housingand to each other for telescopic movement between a retracted positionwithin said compressor mechanism housing and an extended position out ofsaid compressor mechanism housing, and into said compressing andfreezing chamber, said compressor mechanism means further includingcompressor head means connected to the innermost cylinder of saidplurality of cylinders for compressing said refuse when said pluralityof concentric cylinders are in said extended position; drive means fortelescopically moving said cylinders from said retracted positions tosaid extended positions for compressing said refuse and thereaftermoving said cylinders back to said retracted position; and freezingmeans for lowering the temperature of at least some of said chamberwalls below the freezing temperature of water for freezing saidcompressed refuse into a solid pellet-like unit, said driving meansincluding means for imparting rotation to the outermost cylinder of saidplurality of cylinders and wherein the remaining cylinders are threadmounted to their respective adjacent outer cylinders and responsive tothe rotation of said outermost cylinder for successive movement relativeto their respective adjacent outer cylinder, the innermost cylinderbeing the last cylinder to move to its extended position.
 18. A refusedisposing unit comprising: a refuse housing including loading door meansfor insertion of refuse within said housing; a compressing and freezingchamber within said housing receiving refuse inserted through said doormeans, and having a plurality of walls; compressor mechanism meansmounted within and to said housing for compressing said refuse, saidcompressor mechanism means including a compressor mechanism housing anda plurality of concentric cylinders mounted within said compressormechanism housing and to each other for telescopic movement between aretracted position within said compressor mechanism housing and anextended position out of said compressor mechanism housing, and intosaid compressing and freezing chamber, said compressor mechanism meansfurther including compressor head means connected to the innermostcylinder of said plurality of cylinders for compressing said refuse whensaid plurality of concentric cylinders are in said extended position;drive means for telescopically moving said cylinders from said retractedpositions to said extended positions for compressing said refuse andthereafter moving said cylinders back to said retracted position; andfreezing means for lowering the temperature of at least some of saidchamber walls below the freezing temperature of water for freezing saidcompressed refuse into a solid pellet-like unit and means forsubstantially continuously maintaining the environment within saidrefuse housing at a freezing temperature for pre-freezing said refuseprior to compression and freezing said refuse into a solid pellet-shapedunit after compression thereof.
 19. A refuse disposing unit comprising:a unit housing including loading door means for insertion of refusetherein; a refuse storage and compression container positioned withinsaid unit housing and tiltably mounted for movement between an uprightposition for receiving refuse inserted through said loading door meansand a tilted position for compression of said refuse; compressormechanism means mounted within said unit housing and cooperating withsaid refuse storage and compression container when said container is inits tilted position for compressing refuse therein; and freezing meansfor freezing said compressed refuse into a solid pellet-like unit.
 20. Arefuse disposing unit according to claim 19 including disposable refusesupporting means positioned within said refuse storage and compressioncontainer for receiving and supporting refuse inserted through saidloading door means, said disposable supporting means being compressedand frozen along with said refuse therein.
 21. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 19 including mounting means for biasing said refusestorage and compression container in said tilted position and lockingmeans for maintaining said container in said upright position.
 22. Arefuse disposing unit according to claim 19 wherein said refuse storageand compression container and said compressor mechanism includecooperating engagement means for rigidly engaging each other when saidcontainer is in its tilted position, said engagement means confining thecompression stress resulting from the compression of said refuse to saidcontainer.
 23. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 19 whereinsaid compressor mechanism means includes a compressor mechanism housingand a plurality of concentric cylinders mounted within said compressormechanism housing and to each other for telescopic movement between aretracted position within said compressor mechanism housing and anextended position out of said compressor housing, said compressormechanism means further including compressor head means connected to theinnermost cylinder of said plurality of cylinders for compressing saidrefuse when said plurality of concentric cylinders are in said extendedpositions; and drive means for telescopically moving said cylinders fromsaid retracted positions to said extended positions for compressing saidrefuse and thereafter moving said cylinders back to said retractedposition.
 24. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 23 wherein saiddriving means includes means for imparting rotation to the outermostcylinder and wherein the remaining cylinders are thread mounted to theirrespective adjacent outer cylinders and responsive to the rotation ofsaid outermost cylinder for successive movement relative to theiradjacent outer cylinders, the innermost cylinder being the last to moveto its respective extended position.
 25. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 19 including means for substantially continuouslymaintaining the environment within said container at a freezingtemperature for pre-chilling said refuse prior to compressing andfreezing said refuse.
 26. A refuse disposing unit comprising: a unithousing including loading door means for insertion of refuse therein; arefuse storage and compression container mounted within said unithousing and positioned for receiving refuse inserted through saidloading door means; compressor mechanism means positioned within saidhousing and mounted for movement laterally of itself between anon-compressing position away from said container and a positionadjacent said container for compressing the refuse inserted in saidcontainer, means for thereafter moving said compressor mechanism meanslongitudinally of itself to compress refuse in said container; and meansfor freezing said compressed refuse into a dense pellet-like unit.
 27. Arefuse disposing unit according to claim 26 including refuse supportingmeans positioned within said container for receiving and supportingrefuse inserted through said loading door means.
 28. A refuse disposingunit according to claim 26 wherein said container and compressormechanism means include cooperating engagement means for rigidlyengaging each other when said compressor mechanism means is in saidcompressing position, said engagement means confining the compressionstress resulting from the compression of said refuse to said container.29. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 26 wherein saidcompressor mechanism means includes a compressor mechanism housing and aplurality of concentric cylinders mounteD within said compressormechanism housing and to each other for telescopic movement between aretracted position within said compressor mechanism housing and anextended position out of said compressor housing, said compressormechanism means further including compressor head means connected to theinnermost cylinder of said plurality of cylinders for compressing saidrefuse when said plurality of concentric cylinders are in said extendedpositions; and drive means for telescopically moving said cylinders fromsaid retracted position to said extended position for compressing saidrefuse and thereafter moving said cylinders back to said retractedposition.
 30. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 29 wherein saiddrive means includes means for imparting rotation to the outermostcylinder and wherein the remaining cylinders are thread-mounted to theirrespective adjacent outer cylinders and responsive to the rotation ofsaid outermost cylinder for successive movement relative to theiradjacent outer cylinders, the innermost cylinder being the last to moveto its respective extended position.
 31. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 26 including means for substantially continuouslymaintaining the environment within said unit housing at a freezingtemperature for pre-chilling said refuse prior to compression andfreezing said refuse into a solid pellet-shaped unit.
 32. A refusedisposing unit according to claim 26 wherein said refuse storage andcompression container includes trap door means at the bottom thereof forremoval of said solid pellet-like unit.
 33. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 32 including means for mechanically opening andclosing said trap door means.
 34. A refuse disposing unit according toclaim 33 including transfer means cooperating with said trap door meansfor gravitationally directing said solid pellet-like unit out of andaway from said container.
 35. A refuse disposing unit according to claim26 wherein said container is tilted at an angle with respect to saidunit housing and wherein said compressor mechanism moves between saidpositions at said angle perpendicular with said container.
 36. A refusedisposing unit according to claim 35 including refuse supporting meanspositioned within said container for receiving and supporting refuseinserted through said loading door means.
 37. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 35 wherein said container and compressor mechanismmeans include cooperating engagement means for rigidly engaging eachother when said compressor mechanism means is in said compressingposition, said engagement means confining the compression stressresulting from the compression of said refuse to said container.
 38. Arefuse disposing unit comprising: a unit housing including loading doormeans for insertion of refuse therein; compressor mechanism meansmounted within and to said housing; a refuse storage and compressioncontainer positioned within said unit housing and mounted for movementbetween a first position for receiving refuse inserted through saidloading door means and a second position adjacent said compressormechanism for compressing said refuse; and means for freezing saidcompressed refuse into a solid pellet-like unit.
 39. A refuse disposingunit comprising: a longitudinal refuse compression and conveyancehousing including a rearward end for receiving and compressing refuseand an open forward end for extruding said refuse out of said housing;compressor means positioned within said housing for compressing saidrefuse and extruding said refuse out of said open end; means forfreezing the refuse within said housing; and means for inhibitingmovement of the frozen refuse toward said open forward end whereby saidfrozen refuse serves as a back-up for further refuse during compressingthereof, said movement inhibiting means comprising inner side walls onsaid housing maintained below freezing temperature and refuse frozenthereto.
 40. A refuse dispOsing unit according to claim 39 includingfriction means for providing resistance to the movement of refuse withinsaid housing whereby said refuse is adequately compressed by saidcompressor means.
 41. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 40wherein said friction means includes a plurality of wedges mounted tothe inside surface of said housing and extending towards the centerthereof for providing said resistance.
 42. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 40 wherein said friction means includes a pluralityof slots positioned around the periphery of said housing and compressionbelt means positioned around said slots for reducing the over-allcross-sectional area of said housing.
 43. A refuse disposing unitaccording to claim 39 wherein said compressor means includes means forproducing a cavity through said compressed refuse.
 44. A refusedisposing unit according to claim 39 wherein said compressor meansincludes a compressor head member positioned within said housing andmovable through said housing for compressing and extruding said refuse.45. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 44 wherein saidcompressor means further includes a piston and cylinder assembly havinga piston portion fixed to and within said housing and a cylinder portionconnected to said head member for moving said head member through saidhousing.
 46. A refuse disposing unit according to claim 39 includingdeflection means mounted to said housing and positioned adjacent saidopen end for breaking off said compressed and frozen refuse as it isextruded out of said housing.
 47. A method of disposing of refusecomprising the steps of: placing refuse in a longitudinal housing whichhas an open forward end; compressing said refuse; freezing said refuse;freezing said refuse to walls along the line of travel to restrictmovement of refuse which has been frozen to serve as a back-up forcompressing further refuse; and extruding said compressed and frozenrefuse out of the open end of said housing.
 48. A method according toclaim 47 including the step of frictionally providing resistance to themovement of said refuse whereby said refuse is adequately compressed.49. A method according to claim 47 including the step of producing acavity through said compressed refuse during compression thereof.
 50. Amethod according to claim 47 including the step of breaking away saidcompressed and frozen refuse as said refuse is extruded out of saidhousing.
 51. A method according to claim 47 including the step oftransferring said extruded refuse to frozen storage.